Antimetabolite

antimetabolite, a substance that competes with, replaces, or inhibits a specific metabolite of a cell and thereby interferes with the cell’s normal metabolic functioning. An antimetabolite is similar in structure to a metabolite, or enzymatic substrate, which is normally recognized and acted upon by an enzyme to form a substance required by the cell. Because of their structural similarity to these compounds, antimetabolites readily become incorporated into either DNA or RNA (purine and pyrimidine nucleotides) and interfere with cellular function. Although the antimetabolite may resemble the substrate enough to be taken up by the cell, it does not react in the same way with the enzyme—either the enzymatic reaction is inhibited or the antimetabolite is converted by the enzyme into an aberrant component.

Many antimetabolites are used for therapeutic purposes. Sulfanilamides, for example, are antimetabolites that disrupt bacterial, but not human, metabolism and are used to eradicate bacterial infections in humans. Other examples include antagonists of purines (azathioprine, mercaptopurine, and thioguanine) and antagonists of pyrimidine (fluorouracil and floxuridine). Cytarabine, which also has antiviral properties, interferes with dihydrofolate reductase, which is necessary for the synthesis of tetrahydrofolate and subsequently for the synthesis of the folic acid needed for DNA formation. Methotrexate, used most often in the treatment of acute leukemia, breast cancer, lung cancer, and osteogenic sarcoma (osteosarcoma), has also been used in low doses for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Because the antimetabolites act primarily upon cells undergoing synthesis of new DNA for formation of new cells, it follows that most of the toxicities associated with these drugs are seen in cells that are growing and dividing quickly. They are known to cause severe damage to the mucous membranes of the mouth and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract and also to produce skin disorders and hair loss. Anemia can occur, along with a decrease in number of the white blood cells that are necessary to prevent infections.